


I'll Wait ('til the End of Time)

by JustABoxOfWords



Series: Box's Reincarnation!Verse [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Non-Linear Narrative, Oikawa Tooru Being Oikawa Tooru, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:54:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29007120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustABoxOfWords/pseuds/JustABoxOfWords
Summary: A few snapshots of the lives of Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime across both lifetimes.Shorter IwaOi companion piece to my longer work: One Look (And My Heartbeat Stops)
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Series: Box's Reincarnation!Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088087
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. First Life: Age Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I'm baaaaack!
> 
> I've been working on this on and off since I finished One Look.  
> It's gonna be much shorter and a lot less linear in its progression but I wanted to write more for this universe so here we are!
> 
> Title is from Numb Without You by The Maine.

It was a bright summer afternoon the day that eight-year-old Crown Prince Oikawa Tooru managed to sneak out of the castle for the first time. He’d pretended to want a nap after lunch and then climbed out his second-floor window with a makeshift rope of bedsheets and blankets. As his feet hit the ground he dashed away, heading straight for the river. He’d seen it from his window every day and wanted to know how the water would feel against his skin. Maybe, if he was really lucky, he’d see some of the fish that Captain Irihata had been teaching him about. The pictures were so pretty. He hoped the real things were just as cool.

He scurried past buildings, avoiding collisions with nearby townsfolk. It was so busy and noisy. Oikawa loved it. He’d been out to the town before, of course. But he’d never been able to talk to the people, or go wherever he wanted. Irihata would always be next to him, with a firm hand on his shoulder and a shake of the head to say ‘No Tooru, you can’t go pet that dog. No, you can’t look inside that bookshop. No, you can’t say hi to that lady.’ Oikawa mentally stuck his tongue out at his guard. Now, he could do whatever he wanted. And what he wanted, was to see the river.

The buildings eventually fell away to a grassy field, the river a shimmer of blue ahead of him. Oikawa beamed to himself as he ran towards the water, but stopped at the sight of a person lying on their front by the river’s edge. He slowed his pace and crept up to them to get a closer look. It was a boy, probably about his own age, with tan skin and short black hair spiking up wildly in every direction. His clothes looked simple enough (though Oikawa’s standards for ‘simple’ were a little skewed), with a handful of patches sewn over tears in the fabric. Oikawa put on his best smile and approached the boy.

“Hey! Who’re you?”

The boy whipped around, pressing a hand against Oikawa’s mouth harshly. His skin was rougher than Oikawa’s own and it felt weird. He tried to squirm away, but the boy was stronger. His green eyes bore into Oikawa, forcing him to keep eye contact.

“Shush! You’re gonna scare them.” Oikawa tilted his head. Scare them? Scare who? The boy pointed down into the water with his other hand. “The fish dummy.” Sure enough, in the river below was a school of fish, scales glinting as they swam lazily against the weak current.

Oikawa finally managed to wrench the boy’s hand from his face, crouching to get a better look. “They’re so pretty.” He whispered. The boy, seemingly pleased with the hushed tone, allowed his hand to drop. “I’ve never seen fish in real life before.”

The boy furrowed his brow, as he crouched down next to Oikawa, “How have you never seen fish before? They’re in the river all the time.” He looked over in disbelief, “Have you never been here before?”

“Nope.” Oikawa responded cheerily, eyes darting between the boy and the water. Irihata had told him it was rude to look away when people were talking, but the fish were just so breath-taking.

“You’re weird.” The boy declared, standing back up and crossing his arms, “Everyone in town has seen the river before.”

Oikawa spluttered for a moment. Had that boy seriously just called him weird? “Well, I haven’t.” He replied, “And I wanted to see it, so I snuck out.” Oikawa stood up, “I didn’t want to be called names by a stranger.” He finished, crossing his arms to mirror the boy in front of him, a pout set on his face.

The boy uncrossed his arms, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, “Iwaizumi Hajime.” The boy’s voice was so quiet Oikawa barely caught it.

“Huh?”

“My name, dummy. It’s Iwaizumi Hajime.” He paused for a moment, then smirked, “Now I’m not a stranger, so I can call you names as much as I want.”

“Wow Iwa you’re so rude.” He could see Iwaizumi mouth _Iwa_ to himself in disbelief, “My name’s Oikawa Tooru.”

Iwaizumi blanched.

He took a step back, eyes wide. Oikawa followed with a step forward, “What’s wrong Iwa?”

The boy’s voice was shaky when he spoke, “Oikawa Tooru, like the prince Oikawa Tooru?”

“Yeah. That’s me.” He grinned, but the look on Iwaizumi’s face made it quickly fade, “Why? Are you ok?”

Tears began to form on Iwaizumi’s face as he dropped down onto his knees into a low bow, “I- I’m sorry Prince Oikawa.” his voice wobbled, “I’m sorry I was mean to you, please don’t put me in prison!”

Oikawa laughed.

At the sound, Iwaizumi’s head snapped up, confusion etched into his features. The sight only made him laugh louder. “It’s ok Iwa. I’d never put a friend in prison.” He saw Iwaizumi visibly relax where he was knelt, “Besides, you’re my first friend ever other than my cousin Shigeru, so that makes you my best friend.”

Iwaizumi wiped hastily at his face, “Fine then.” A blush spread across his cheeks, “But you can never tell anyone I cried. I’m gonna be a guard someday and they never cry.”

Oikawa held his hand out, “It’s a deal.”

The boy took it, pulling himself up. Once the two of them were standing, Oikawa smirked, “Hey Iwa, I’m taller than you!”

Iwaizumi went red, pushing at Oikawa’s shoulder lightly, “Yeah well you scared the fish off.”

Oikawa froze. He looked back to the water and, sure enough, it was empty. He felt his heart sink. Tears welled up in his eyes at the vacant river. He’d scared them all away. It was only the first time ever he’d seen fish and he’d messed it up and now they were gone and-

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up, to see Iwaizumi looking at him with a small smile, “They’ll come back again dummy. You should visit tomorrow to watch them.”

His tears immediately gave way to a watery grin and he flung himself into Iwaizumi’s arms, “Sure!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, for someone who claims to not be a Seijoh stan, I sure do write a lot for them :')
> 
> If y'all have any ideas for chapters I could include in this, feel free to comment them bc I woulda made this longer but I ran out of inspiration. Oops.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and see you in the next chapter <3


	2. First Life: Age Sixteen Part 1

Oikawa watched Iwaizumi swear into the Aoba Johsai guard in the spring of their sixteenth year. That year’s batch of recruits had been large, and Iwaizumi had stood at the top of all of them. He’d passed his aptitude test with flying colours and he could see the gleam in Irihata’s eye as he handed Iwaizumi his sword. The Captain had admitted several months ago that he planned to retire from active duty within the next few years, and had stressed to Oikawa the importance of finding his replacement sooner rather than later. As Oikawa watched his best friend bow low, hands outstretched to receive his weaponry, he had no doubt in his mind who he’d choose.

In the years Oikawa had known Iwaizumi, the scrawny boy from the river had matured quite nicely. His height had shot up at fourteen (though he still stood slightly shorter than Oikawa, much to the prince’s delight), and he had grown, for a lack of a better term, buff as hell.

He’d thrown his all into training for the aptitude test and it showed in the curves of his biceps, in the strength of his thighs, in the broad expanse of his chest. Oikawa wasn’t ashamed to admit that the guard had been the subject of many a daydream over the years. Even then, as Captain Irihata inundated each member of the guard, Oikawa struggled to take his eyes off Iwaizumi’s tan shoulders, even after a nudge from his cousin, Yahaba who smirked at him from where he stood to his right.

The ceremony finished relatively quickly, and the new soldiers dispersed, quick to explore the barracks and the common wings of the castle. Oikawa rushed over to where Iwaizumi was chatting with another new recruit. Yuda? Something like that.

“Iwa!” He called out as he launched himself at the guard, flinging his arms over his shoulders, “I’m so proud of you!”

Iwaizumi was quick to shove him off, “Oi! Cut that out.” He growled, “I don’t want anyone here thinking I got special treatment or whatever because I know you.”

Oikawa reluctantly unwound himself from the guard, a small pout on his face, “But Iwa, everyone knows you’re the best of the bunch this year.” He whined, “It’s not like I can ‘special treatment’ you better with a sword.”

The guard laughed, bumping his shoulder against Oikawa, “That made no sense, dumbass.”

It was then that a small cough got the pair’s attention. The other guard was still standing next to them, face aghast. Oikawa giggled inwardly, putting on his most charming smile.

He waved his hand absently at the guard, “Don’t mind me. Iwa and I have been friends forever.” The guard went bright red and bowed low.

“H- Hello Prince Oikawa. It is an honour to be in your presence.” The poor man glanced up and Oikawa sighed, motioning for him to stand up straight, “My name is Yuda Kaneo.”

“It’s lovely to meet you Yuda. I hope you put your all into your new post here.” The formalities practically rolled off Oikawa’s tongue, the pleasantries drilled into his head for years.

The boy saluted enthusiastically, the side of his hand hitting his forehead a little too hard. He winced and Oikawa struggled to hold back laughter. Yuda quickly scurried off to join two other recruits, leaving Iwaizumi all to Oikawa. He grinned at the guard; whose responding look was nothing but suspicious.

“Oh come on Iwa, lighten up.” He clapped his hands together, “How about I give you the grand tour myself?”

Iwaizumi scrunched his face up, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Well, if Iwaizumi was going to be stubborn… Oikawa jutted his lip and put on his best pout, watching as the guard struggled to maintain his scowl. His eyebrow twitched, “Ugh fine. But if I get in trouble for this, you’re taking the blame.”

With that victory, Oikawa grabbed Iwaizumi’s hand and pulled him towards the castle, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

* * *

And so, the grand tour began. Oikawa dragged Iwaizumi though the common wing of the castle, proudly gesturing at every room, greeting every member of staff by name with a friendly smile. He glanced at Iwaizumi from time to time and watching his emotions bounce from awe at the building, to laughing at some dumb joke, to smiling politely to the staff. It was adorable.

He pulled Iwaizumi down a corridor to the final stop on the tour. A large pair of wooden doors with ‘West Wing’ inscribed in careful lettering above them. Iwaizumi stared at the door for a moment before turning on his heel away from it. When Oikawa refused to budge, Iwaizumi huffed, tugging on his hand. “Oikawa, no. If I’m caught in here, I’ll get in genuine trouble.” He tried to pull his hand out from Oikawa’s grip but he held steadfast. Iwaizumi ran a free hand down his face in frustration. “Seriously. I could get fired.”

Ah. So that’s what he was worried about. Oikawa smiled sweetly up at Iwaizumi, making sure he sounded sincere. “I won’t let you get fired Iwa. I’d argue if they tried.”

“I worked so hard for this Shittykawa,” The nickname slipped out before Iwaizumi could stop it and he clapped a hand over his mouth, scanning the surrounding area with panic in his eyes. Oikawa gave his other hand a squeeze. “I don’t want to lose it all on the first day.” He admitted, eyes downcast.

Oikawa leant in so their faces were impossible close, keeping his voice soft. “I promise you won’t get into trouble.” He pulled away slightly, tugging on Iwaizumi’s hand. “Besides, there’s something I need to ask you and I’d rather it not be where people can overhear.”

Iwaizumi sighed, then he nodded, allowing Oikawa to pull him through the door and into the castle’s west wing. Oikawa smiled to himself, the feeling of Iwaizumi’s calloused hands comforting against his own.

The twists and turns to Oikawa’s chambers fell away to a large wooden door, carved to resemble a stone wall covered in ivy. Oikawa snuck a glance back at the guard and the sight he saw was nothing less than adorable. Iwaizumi was staring up at the door, jaw open and eyes wide. The door was ten times more extravagant than any in the common wings of the castle, save perhaps the door to the main hall.

Oikawa threw his free hand out in a flourish, “This, my dear Iwa, is my door.”

“You’re kidding.” Oikawa felt his face fall, but Iwaizumi just laughed. “You wanted to show me your room?” Oikawa nodded, why Iwaizumi found the idea so funny was beyond him. The guard sighed, “Fine. It’s not like things could get any worse if I’m found.” Oikawa felt his face light up and he didn’t even attempt to hide his blinding smile.

He poked Iwaizumi in the shoulder, “Oh just admit you’re curious.”

The guard poked back, “Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. Just a heads up this narrative is gonna take a LOT of timeskips like this one. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and see you in the next chapter <3


	3. First Life: Age Sixteen Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!  
> In the interests of my ease of posting, I've updated the tags to include 'non-linear narrative'. I'm still writing up chapters as I post this and trying to shift around chapters so everything is linear would be a lot of extra work so just a heads up on that.
> 
> (This is a direct continuation of the last chapter so they're both still sixteen)

Oikawa figured that his room would be considered lavish by anyone’s standards. The stone walls were draped in deep blue tapestries, dotted with white to mimic the night sky. A large bookshelf sat along one wall, with a large writing desk at its side. On the opposite room stood a large table with three plush armchairs. The bed was, in Oikawa’s humble opinion, the best part of the room. It was large enough to comfortably fit four people, the sheets the same soft blue as the tapestries.

As the door swung open, Oikawa made sure to watch Iwaizumi’s expression as the room came into view piece by piece. His jaw had immediately dropped eyes darting from place to place as if it would disappear if he looked away for even a moment.

A minute passed. Two minutes. Halfway through the third minute Oikawa’s patience ran out and he started poking Iwaizumi’s shoulder. The action finally jolted him out of his trance, and he started laughing. “This is ridiculous, even for a prince.” He ran his free hand (the other was still held tightly in Oikawa’s, not that Oikawa was going to let go any time soon) through his hair, “I didn’t know you could get beds this big.” He looked towards the bookshelf, “Seriously, I’ve only seen this many books in one place in the library.”

Oikawa laughed, “Yahaba’s worse than me. He’s got three bookshelves.” The shock on Iwaizumi’s face was priceless.

The two laughed for a while, the conversation dying out. Oikawa dropped Iwaizumi’s hand and meandered over to his bed. He perched himself on the end of it, ankles crossed. Iwaizumi, on the other hand stood stock still in the centre of the room, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. His voice was uncertain when he finally spoke. “So you had something to tell me?”

Oikawa hummed, “Mhm.” He watched Iwaizumi tense and he chuckled to himself. “Come on Iwa, don’t be so stiff. Come and sit.” He patted the bed next to him and, after a moment’s hesitation, Iwaizumi sat down gingerly on the bed. He let out a gasp and Oikawa failed to stifle a giggle.

The guard glared at him, “Shut it. It’s really soft ok.”

“Ok. So I have a question.” Oikawa turned the request over and over in his mind. He knew he wanted Iwaizumi as his personal guard when Irihata retired, but how to ask?

Iwaizumi beat him to it. “If it’s what I think it is, the answer’s no.”

Oikawa felt his blood run cold. “What?” His mind raced, a million reasons why he would say no running through his head. He didn’t feel like he’d be able to. He only wanted to join the regular guard. He secretly hated Oikawa and was waiting to tell him-

He felt his breathing hitch, each inhale shallower than the last. Panic settled into his bones. His vision started to blur. The walls around him shifted, closing in on him.

“-ooru? Tooru! Oi, can you hear me?” Iwaizumi’s voice cut through the panic, “Look, you need to breathe.” He felt a hand, solid and warm, on his chest. His words were slow, careful. “In and out. In and out. Come on, breathe damnit.”

Oikawa took a shaky breath, then a second. The walls started to fall back, the cloud covering his vision lifted. He’d somehow curled up into a ball at the head of his bed. Iwaizumi was crouched over him, eyes full of worry. “You back with me?” Oikawa could only nod shakily. “Good. You scared the shit outta me.” The hand on his chest moved and he failed to contain a whimper, leaning back into the touch. “Ok, ok. Just,” Iwaizumi took a breath, “what was that?”

“Why not?” His voice came out shakily and he cursed his own vocal chords for making him sound so pathetic.

Iwaizumi paused, brow furrowed in confusion, “Huh? What do you mean why-”

“Why won’t you be my guard? You’re strong enough!” Oikawa interrupted, grabbing at Iwaizumi’s arm like a lifeline. “You got the highest score pretty much ever on the aptitude test.” His voice dropped back down to a near whisper as his sudden burst of adrenaline wore off, “I already trust you with my life.” The tears he’d been trying to hold back started to spill over, “Please. Irihata’s retiring soon and I want my next guard to be you Hajime.” Through watery eyes, he risked a look up at Iwaizumi, whose expression was stuck somewhere between shock and concern.

“Shit.” Iwaizumi cursed to himself as a light flush started to travel across his face. “I… Uhhh…” He shuffled awkwardly on the bed. “I might have misunderstood.” Oikawa tilted his head. Iwaizumi had misunderstood? A small flicker of hope rose up in his chest. Maybe that meant he would-

“I’ll do it.”

Oikawa shrieked with joy, flinging himself at Iwaizumi who topped backwards, falling onto his back, Oikawa on top of him. The pair laughed for a moment, revelling in the occasion.

* * *

But Iwaizumi’s initial response still floated around Oikawa’s head. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking down at the guard, “Wait, what did you think I was asking?”

Iwaizumi went bright red, staring at Oikawa’s ceiling as if it held the meaning of life itself in the stonework. “Nope. Nope. Absolutely not.”

“Oh come on Iwa, you can tell me.” He flopped onto his back next to the guard, “I won’t even make fun of you if it’s something really stupid.”

But Iwaizumi continued to refuse to even so much as look at him, let alone talk. It was time to break out the drastic measures.

He rolled over, dropping his entire bodyweight across Iwaizumi’s torso. “Please! Oh please please please tell me.” He pitched his voice up childishly, knowing that it was just grating enough to get under his friend’s skin.

Iwaizumi pushed roughly at Oikawa, “Ugh ok fine! Just shut up for a second.” He finally managed to remove the prince from on top of him and sat up, legs crossed. “Well… I… thoughtyouweregonnaasktocourtme.”

Oikawa shot up. “What?” He’d heard Iwaizumi. Of course he had. But he had to make sure he hadn’t misheard. Because if Iwaizumi _had_ said that then-

“I thought you were gonna ask to court me ok!” The guard’s face was bright red, as he pointedly stared out Oikawa’s window. “And I couldn’t say yes to that, I mean you’re the prince.” He ran a hand through his hair, “I like you but you’re in line to be king and-”

“You like me?” Oikawa was quick to interrupt his rambling, catching on to his words like a lifeline.

“Fuck.” Iwaizumi swore to himself as the blood that had been flush on his cheeks disappeared instantly, and he shot up from the bed, feet stumbling towards the door. Oikawa lunged forward and grabbed his wrist, keeping the guard firmly in place. He wasn’t just going to let him leave.

“No, wait Iwa. Please.” He pleaded, pulling the guard back to sit on the edge of the bed. “I like you too. I have done for years now.” The confession fell past his lips without thinking and Iwaizumi froze.

Iwaizumi shifted on the bed, expression unreadable, “But we can’t, Oikawa. You’re going to be king soon. There are certain… expectations.” His face flushed slightly at the implications of his words.

A teasing remark wound its way onto the tip of Oikawa’s tongue but he swallowed it down, instead responding with an eloquent: “Fuck that.”

Iwaizumi spluttered at his blunt words, but he continued, “Seriously. Fuck that. It’s not like I’m the only member of the royal family. Yahaba is next in line after me, and I have other family too.” Oikawa smirked, “I’m not just gonna pop out a baby because I have to you know.”

“I- I know that!” Iwaizumi stuttered, face back to the tomato red it had been earlier. It was the cutest thing Oikawa had ever seen. He had to hold back a squeal at the sight.

He smiled softly, voice hesitant, “So, if I actually asked to court you,” Iwaizumi’s eyes flashed with a brief panic, “and I promised to keep it as quiet as I physically can,” He cupped his hand against Iwaizumi’s cheek, “would you say yes?”

The guard lifted his gaze to Oikawa’s and nodded, wrapping his arms around the prince, and pulling him into a hug. His arms were trembling slightly, and Oikawa would have laughed, were his own not shaking against the guard’s back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said earlier, this story is going to start bouncing around the timeline a lot more as I write up each chapter. I'm actually enjoying this change of pace a lot. As much as I enjoyed One Look, I never intended this to be much more than a collection of small interceding snapshots and so far I'm blown away with the responses I've had. I'm super glad people are enjoying it.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and see you in the next chapter <3


	4. First Life: Age Twenty

The stacks of paper on Oikawa’s desk were growing ever larger with reports and requests piling higher and higher with every day that the war waged on. And, by extension, the amount of time Oikawa spent holed up in his chambers poring over said paperwork also increased.

And yet one day found Oikawa not in his chambers, surrounded by paperwork, but hidden in one of the, currently out of use, hosting rooms. Still surrounded by paperwork. It had been a last ditch attempt to avoid Iwaizumi, who had been threatening Oikawa for weeks now, practically forcing him to take breaks from his work.

Oikawa understood. Really he did. But the piles and piles of reports weren’t getting smaller anytime soon and he just had to keep looking though them. Hopefully one of them would have the ticket he needed to finish this fucking war for good. 

_I have to do this._ Oikawa thought to himself as he grabbed another page from the top of the pile to his right. It was a report from Yuda on the frontlines. He began to read over the report, but swore under his breath as the words started blurring together in front of him. _Not now._ He ran his hands down his face, then pinched his thigh hard. Like hell he was just going to stop now. Not even under threat of passing out. He couldn’t let being tired stop him from doing his duty as king. How pathetic that would be.

The door slammed open. “Fucking there you are!” Oikawa would have jumped a foot into the air at the sudden noise, but his body betrayed him and the most he could muster was a small squeak and a flinch as Iwaizumi stalked over to the table, furious.

Oikawa could only sigh as he felt a hand card through his hair, leaning into the touch subconsciously. Iwaizumi took the paper from his hand and set it back onto the table. “Damnit Tooru you’re overworking yourself.” The guard didn’t even sound angry at this point, just incredibly tired. Oikawa couldn’t blame him. But tired or not, Oikawa couldn’t just stay slacking off.

He picked Yuda’s report back up, squinting at the words and hoping they would come back into focus. “I need to go over these reports. I can’t miss anything.”

“What you need is rest. I don’t think I’ve seen you sleep in days.” Iwaizumi’s voice was quiet, almost tender, as the hand in his hair moved down to his shoulder and a brief kiss was pressed into his temple.

All Oikawa wanted to do was lean into the guard’s touch and have the love of his life hold him in his arms, but he forced himself to pull away. “I’m fine.” He batted idly at the hand on his shoulder as he focused down on the report for a third time. “I need to finish this.” He felt his hands begin to shake, the paper crumpling slightly in his grip. “I need to be a better king. I need to finish this war before anyone else-”

Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa’s shoulders, forcing him to face the guard, “Do you think you’re fighting by yourself?”

His words hung in the air for a moment before his face crumpled, his hand moving to grip the back of Oikawa’s head, pushing their foreheads together. “Fuck, Tooru. You’re not. You never were.” He pressed a light kiss to his forehead and Oikawa had to choke back tears. “You have an entire country of people you can rely on.” A moment passed, then Iwaizumi shot up, eyes bright. “Scratch that, more than one country.”

“What?” Iwaizumi had finally lost it. Oikawa was sure of it.

But the guard pressed on, “We should go to Karasuno. Ask for their aid.”

“No.” was Oikawa’s impulse reaction. He couldn’t just go to Sugawara and ask for his aid. That would be the ultimate sign of weakness. He’d be a failure of a leader to rely on outside help. There was no way he could-

“Fuck all of that!” Oh. He’d said that all aloud. Iwaizumi looked down at him, furious. “Our soldiers are dying out there Tooru.” He gesticulated wildly at the stack of papers on the table, “We need help. We have allies. Let’s use them. We’d be stronger together and you know it.” His eyes softened, “We’ve already lost too many people.” Iwaizumi’s voice hitched, the same way it did every time he mentioned Yahaba. Or Kyoutani. Or Watari, whose platoon they hadn’t heard from in three and a half weeks. “I don’t want to see you work yourself to death.” The guard looked down at Oikawa, the starts of tears in his eyes. “I can’t lose you too.”

With a sudden burst of energy, Oikawa shot up and wrapped his arms around Iwaizumi, burying his face in his neck. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, “I know I was being stubborn.” He turned Iwaizumi’s suggestion over in his mind once more. Karasuno were strong, and King Sugawara had already proven himself and his people to be trustworthy allies. “Alright. Fine. First thing in the morning, we’ll leave for Karasuno. No point wasting time.”

Iwaizumi chuckled, causing Oikawa to look up, confused.

“Idiot, sunrise was like three hours ago.” He pressed a kiss to Oikawa’s forehead. “Come on, rest today and we’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”

Oikawa reluctantly nodded, then yelped as Iwaizumi swept him up and carried him back towards his chambers, stacks of paper left forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all. I know, I know. It's been a hot minute. I've been suffering from killer writer's block with this fic.   
> (Also I got distracted with some other wip ideas lol)
> 
> But I don't like leaving things unfinished so I will get this done. Eventually :')
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and see you in the next chapter <3


	5. Second Life: Age Fifteen

“Do you think you’re fighting by yourself?”

A wave of nostalgia hit Oikawa and with it a flood of memory and emotion. He saw a castle, people kneeling before him. Pride swelled in his chest. He saw a young boy with caramel hair standing next to him, no more than six years old, smiling up at Oikawa with a gap-toothed smile. Affection bubbled up, tinged with a sadness he didn’t quite understand. He saw lavish robes draping his body and the heavy weight of something on his head.

He saw Iwaizumi, running around with a stick he boldly proclaimed to be a legendary sword. Saw him wield an actual sword for the first time. Saw him bathed in sunlight, face inches from Oikawa’s own. The crash of love that overtook him was unmistakable.

He saw a dark night, saw a small stone chamber. Agony constricted his throat and for a moment Oikawa panicked, unable to breathe. But it was gone as soon as it came. The memories continued, but they seemed faded out, losing their vibrancy. Slowly, Oikawa was brought back to the present moment, where Iwaizumi stood, angry scowl still on his face, he’d clearly still been talking.

“The team with the better six is stronger, you dumbass!” Iwaizumi finished, blinking rapidly, brow furrowed slightly.

Oikawa didn’t know what to do, the memories were still floating through his head, muddy, indecipherable, and overwhelming. So he did what he did best. He ran.

* * *

Everything was too much. Oikawa felt like his head was going to explode as he ran, feet aching against the pavement. He’d long since stopped caring where he was going and the streets that flew past him grew increasingly unfamiliar. The sky was beginning to darken, the oranges and reds of the sunset burning out above him. He turned a corner into what looked like a park, legs finally giving out under him.

His knees hit the grass and he screamed. His head was pounding, images flashed behind his eyes faster and faster, emotions of all sorts whipping through him. He curled in on himself, hands pressed desperately at his head in an attempt to stop the overflow from cracking him in two.

“Tooru!”

Arms wrapped around him, forcing his head up. His eyes met green ones, panicked and wide. Iwaizumi.

“Fuck, you scared me so bad.” Hands were on his face, turning it from side to side, “Are you alright?” Oikawa nodded, slowly easing his way out of the ball he’d been curled in, Iwaizumi looked hesitant, “Did you see all that too?”

Oikawa’s head snapped up, he’d seen it too? “Y- Yeah.” The headache returned with a vengeance and it took all Oikawa had not to scream. “It hurts Iwa-chan.”

He was pulled into a strong embrace, head against Iwaizumi’s chest. He gripped weakly onto the spiker’s shirt as hands rubbed against his back, along his shoulders, up his sides. Iwaizumi’s voice was uncharacteristically soft, “It’s ok. Let it happen. I’m here.” The spiker’s grip tightened, “I’ve always been right here.”

Oikawa let out a weak chuckle, “Guess so.” He let Iwaizumi hold him as the storm settled, pieces falling into place slowly. The splitting pain in his skull faded too, leaving in its wake a tangled ball of emotions. The tension bled out of his body, letting it go limp in Iwaizumi’s hold.

“Is it better now?” Iwaizumi’s voice was laced with concern, hands pulling at his face so their eyes could meet once more.

“I think so.” Oikawa pulled back so that he was no longer pressed against Iwaizumi, “Iwa-chan, what was that?”

Iwaizumi just shrugged, “Dunno. You’re the conspiracy theorist here.”

“Hey!” he laughed weakly. He let his mind wander over whatever the hell had just happened. It all pointed to one thing. “They feel like memories. Like a past life or something.”

“I would say that makes sense, but none of this makes sense at all.” Iwaizumi chuckled.

Oikawa giggled, “I know right.” He let the absurdity of the situation wash over him, “I was a king Iwa-chan! A king!”

The spiker only snorted, “Told you it didn’t make sense.”

He gasped, mock-offended, “Mean!” he dramatically grabbed his chest, “I was a great king.”

The fondness in Iwaizumi’s eyes would have been impossible to miss. “Yeah, I guess.” The moment faded into silence. The sun had fully set and the streetlights in the park were flickering on one by one. The glow bounced off Iwaizumi’s tan skin, making it shine. The bubble of affection he’d come to associate with Iwaizumi surfaced once more, now strengthened by the memories of their relationship.

His breath stopped in his throat. Wait- relationship? They’d been dating? Oikawa frantically searched through memory after memory and all of them showed the same thing. Love. He remembered their first kiss, the first time they said they loved each other. Years and years of life with Iwaizumi by his side. He remembered it all. Oikawa’s hands flew up to his face, feeling the blush creeping up his cheeks.

“What now?” Iwaizumi's tone was gruff, but affectionate and Oikawa felt his heart swell.

He scrambled to find the words. “Uhhh…” But his tongue felt heavy in his mouth, “We- You- I-”

A soft press of lips cut off his ramblings. Oikawa gasped as his brain rushed to catch up. Iwaizumi was kissing him. Instinct took over and he pressed back, hands sliding over broad shoulders. The kiss was over almost as soon as it began and when he pulled back Iwaizumi was smiling.

“You wanted to know if I still want to date you right?” Oikawa ducked his head, mortified, which was seemingly all the response Iwaizumi needed. “There’s your answer.”

Oikawa felt his face flush at the confession but hid it quickly with indignation, lightly punching Iwaizumi in the arm before sitting back onto his heels. “You’re such a brute Iwa-chan! Not even asking me out properly before you kiss me.” He pouted over at the spiker, making sure to jut his bottom lip out in the way he knew would affect him.

Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes, “I figured we’d already done that.” But Oikawa kept up the pseudo-sadness until he huffed, “Fine. Will you, Oikawa Tooru, go out with me again?”

Finally hearing the words he wanted to hear, Oikawa let his pout drop and he flung his hands back over the spiker, smiling brightly at how red his face had grown. “Of course.”

* * *

A moment of comfortable silence settled over the pair as they grasped on to each other. Iwaizumi looked beautiful in the light of the few streetlights scattered around the park, the glow haloing his hair and making his eyes shine. Oikawa couldn’t stop a soft smile creeping across his face. He buried his face into the spiker’s shoulder, relishing in the warmth of his skin.

After a minute he was stirred from his thoughts by the feeling of Iwaizumi’s shoulder starting to shake under his face. He pulled back to see the spiker snickering to himself, one hand over his mouth in a vague attempt to stifle the noise.

“What?” Oikawa questioned, which seemed to only make Iwaizumi laugh harder, the chuckles breaking out into full blown cackling.

“I just- Just remembered something.” He managed to get out between laughs.

Oikawa pouted, “Tell me!” He whined, pushing at Iwaizumi’s arm.

He wiped at his eyes, where a few tears were threatening to spill over. “Alright, but you won’t like it.”

Oikawa folded his arms, wondering why Iwaizumi was being so hesitant about telling him. He more or less remembered everything himself, so it wouldn’t be anything new… Right? “I don’t care.” He managed to hide the slight waver of concern from his voice, the words coming out deadpan.

“Not even death got us away from Ushiwaka.”

In Oikawa’s mind’s eye, there Ushiwaka stood, towering over him. But now the image flickered between a purple and white volleyball uniform and a deep set of violet robes, a gold crown atop his head. Chasing that second image led to a torrent of memories. Of a trade deal gone sour, then an invasion that made his chest constrict painfully, to a long, drawn out war. All this eloquently left Oikawa’s mouth as “Fuck!”

Iwaizumi snorted. “Do you think it’s him? Like the same Ushiwaka?”

He could only shrug. Even if it was possible, there was no way of confirming it if Ushijima didn’t remember. Besides, to find out, he’d have to _talk_ to him, and there was nothing Oikawa wanted to do less. “I knew there was a reason I hated him.”

“You hate him because he beat us.” Iwaizumi laughed.

“Yeah but now I know he’s way worse. He invaded my kingdom Iwa-chan. I’ll never forgive him for that.” Though it had started out as a joke, the serious tone Oikawa finished on surprised even him.

Iwaizumi just shrugged, “Same. Whether it’s the same guy or not, both of them are assholes.”

Oikawa laughed and as the movement caused him to shift, he felt a twinge in his knee. He winced. Iwaizumi sighed and stood, offering out his hand to Oikawa, “Get up dumbass, you’ll hurt yourself if you stay like that.”

The setter graciously accepted and let himself be pulled off the grass. But as he tried to stand, his legs, long since dead from the awkward position he’d been in, gave out. He stumbled into Iwaizumi, the spiker stepping back to brace himself. Iwaizumi sighed, and then Oikawa was suddenly swept up off the ground entirely. Iwaizumi had picked him up bridal-style and he couldn’t hold back a squeak at the action, winding his arms around Iwaizumi’s neck.

“Iwa-chan! Warn me next time.” He buried his face into Iwaizumi’s neck again. Despite the dropping temperature his skin was still warm against Oikawa’s face and he let out a content hum. “But I’m definitely not complaining.” He smiled up at Iwaizumi, “My knight in shining armour.”

A flush immediately spread up Iwaizumi’s face and he spluttered for a moment, “Shut up Shittykawa. I’ll drop you.”

Oikawa only chuckled, resting his head on the spiker’s chest. “You wouldn’t. You love me too much.”

As Iwaizumi started walking, Oikawa almost missed his response: a soft, “Yeah. I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I've decided to officially mark this fic as complete for now bc I like this ending. And to be honest, while I have ideas for other chapters, they just aren't coming out in words that sound good right now :')
> 
> I've got a few other wips in my folder than I'm working on, but no set date for if/when they're gonna be released.
> 
> So for now, hope you enjoyed, and see you in the next story <3


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